Temperatures might be frigid in St. Lawrence County, but they aren't record-breaking

Thursday, January 3, 2013 - 11:36 am

While temperatures have dropped to frigid levels in St. Lawrence County, the readings haven’t come close to reaching historic lows.

The temperature Wednesday dipped to a chilly -18 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Weather Underground’s Massena readings. So far today the lowest temperature recorded was -17 degrees Fahrenheit, the Underground says.

The National Weather Service reports similar numbers, showing a low of -17 degrees reached around 11 p.m. last evening at Massena’s Richards Field. The service reports a low for today, so far, of -17 degrees Fahrenheit recorded at around 1 a.m. this morning.

However, the record low temperature for Jan. 2 in Massena was -30 degrees Fahrenheit, reached in 1968. The record for Jan. 3 is even lower, clocking in at -32 degrees Fahrenheit in 1981, according to the Underground.

The highest temperature recorded for Jan. 2 was only two years ago, in January 2011, with a high of 52 degrees Fahrenheit. The highest temperature recorded for a Jan. 3 was back in 1950, reaching 53 degrees, the Weather Underground reports.

The average temperature lands somewhere in the middle, with Weather Underground reporting an average Jan. 2 temperature low of 7 degrees and an average high of 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Average numbers for Jan. 3 are similar, with an average high of 25 degrees and an average low of 6 degrees Fahrenheit.

It also seems unlikely that temperatures Friday will reach the record low of -38 degrees Fahrenheit, as reported by Weather Underground. According to the National Weather Service, temperatures tomorrow are expected to reach a high of 32 degrees, with a low of around 19 degrees Fahrenheit.

Friday’s forecasted temperatures are not far from historical averages, which the Weather Underground reports to be a high of 25 and a low of 6 degrees Fahrenheit. The record high for a Jan. 4 was reached in 1950, with an unseasonably warm 59 degrees Fahrenheit recorded.